2 Union Ministers lead wreath-laying ceremony at Kargil War Memorial

The 26th anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas was commemorated on Saturday with two Union Ministers leading the wreath-laying ceremony at the main event held in Ladakh’s Kargil on Saturday.

Kargil Vijay Diwas is observed every year on July 26 to mark the victory of the Indian armed forces over Pakistan in the 1999 war, also known as Operation Vijay, and to pay homage to soldiers.

On Saturday, the main event commenced with the wreath-laying ceremony held at Kargil War Memorial in Dras, Kargil. According to the Indian Army, it commemorated Kargil Vijay Diwas with “solemnity, pride and nationwide participation, honouring the valour and supreme sacrifice of soldiers during the 1999 Kargil War.”

Union Minister of Labour and Employment, Youth Affairs and Sports Mansukh Mandaviya, Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth, Ladakh L-G Kavinder Gupta and Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi led the nation in paying homage to the martyrs in Kargil. Senior military officials, gallantry awardees, family members of the martyrs were present.

In Dras town of Kargil, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports organised ‘Kargil Vijay Diwas Padyatra’ which was led by Union Ministers Mansukh Mandaviya and Sanjay Seth.

Officials said the padyatra witnessed the participation of over 1,000 youth, serving and retired armed forces personnel, families of the fallen heroes and civil society members. It covered a distance of 1.5 km.

Mandaviya said this is an opportunity for “our young friends to remember those brave soldiers and take a pledge to live for the nation.”

MOS Sanjay Seth also paid tributes. “The sacrifice of these valiant soldiers and their immortal tales will continue to inspire our generations to lay down their lives for the nation’s interest. Their sacrifice will keep the flame of patriotism burning in the heart of every Indian,” he said on X.

Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh Pema Khandu, who also laid a wreath at the Kargil War Memorial, said it was a “silent salute to the extraordinary sons of Bharat who gave everything they had, so that we might live in peace.”

“Operation Vijay was a story of young men, climbing into the jaws of death with grit in their hearts and the Tricolour in their hands. On Kargil Vijay Diwas today, we don’t just remember their victory. We remember their courage. Their sacrifice. Their unwavering faith in this nation,” he said.

Officials said General Upendra Dwivedi also inaugurated Indus View Point, which gives a view of the Indus river entering Pakistan-occupied Baltistan, promoting battle-area tourism; e-Shradhanjali portal which enables citizens to pay tributes to Kargil martyrs virtually and a QR-based audio gateway- a tech-enabled narrative platform at the War Memorial that provides historical insights through digital devices.